Scone Palace archway restoration unveiled

A 500-year-old stone archway which was destroyed by a van in 2010 has been restored. The archway, at Scone Palace, was built in the sixteenth-century and was all that remained of the approach to the medieval Augustinian abbey at Scone.

Specialist conservation workers and stonemasons have spent the last two years repairing the archway, using drawings and plaster models to return the stonework to its original state, incorporating the ancient heraldic panels that were a feature of the centre of the archway. The restoration work was led by John Addison of Addison Construction and Design, Midlothian.

The newly restored archway was uneviled at a ceremony by William Murray, Master of Stormont, a member of the family which owns Scone Palace, and an ancestor of the first Viscount Stormont who supervised the construction of the archway in the 1590s. He told BBC Scotland: 'It looks fantastic, it really does. I knew when we got the masons involved and the heritage trust from Perthshire involved, we had a really good team and I was confident that we would get it looking better again. But this is better than anything I could have imagined.'

Read more history and heritage news from across Scotland.

Keep up to date with the latest history news, discoveries and research in every issue of History Scotland and Scottish Memories.

Sign up now for our FREE e-newsletter for more news stories, sneak previews, exclusive content and special offers.